The early 1980s were marked by an unseemly power struggle between motor racing’s governing body, FISA (Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile), and FOCA (Formula One Constructors’ Association), which represented the interests of the British teams – which in 1980 meant everyone except Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo. This latest row concerned the use of skirts on cars. These greatly increased downforce but could also be dangerous. If a skirt suddenly stopped functioning, which was liable to happen in the event of it being damaged by the car running over a kerb, the resultant loss of downforce could send the car spinning out of control. FISA wanted a ban on car skirts, but FOCA was determined to stand firm.
Already that season there had been skirmishes in Belgium and Monaco when FOCA drivers supported the stand their teams were making by refusing to attend the compulsory pre-race drivers’ briefings. FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre’s reaction to this outbreak of rebellion was to fine each offending driver $2,000. When the 15 drivers in question refused to pay the fines, their licences were withdrawn. This ugly stand-off came to a head shortly before the Spanish Grand Prix. Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo remained loyal to FISA but the remaining teams demanded that the drivers’ suspensions be lifted. FISA refused to back down and, with no solution in sight, pulled the Spanish Grand Prix from the World Championship schedule.
The prospects of the Grand Prix going ahead appeared remote but RACE (Royal Automobile Club Espagne), who owned the Jarama circuit north of Madrid and who organised the event, decided to defy FISA and take over direct control of the race from the international body. FOCA gave its backing so the Spanish Grand Prix went ahead, albeit without championship status and minus Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo. With only 22 entrants, nobody could fail to qualify, as a result of which both Shadows made the starting line-up for the first time that year. But pole went to Jacques Laffite in a Ligier.
From fourth on the grid, Carlos Reutemann shot through to lead on the first of the 80 laps, followed by Laffite. Passing places were at a premium at Jarama – the only realistic overtaking spot being at the end of the main straight – and consequently Laffite found himself stuck behind Reutemann for longer than he anticipated. Then on lap 35 the pair came to lap one of the tail-enders, local driver Emilio Villota in a Williams. In attempting the manoeuvre, Reutemann and Laffite collided, putting both of them out of the race.
Nelson Piquet, who had been running third, now took the lead in his Brabham, only to retire on lap 47 with gearbox failure, thereby allowing Didier Pironi’s Ligier into first place, pursued by Alan Jones in a Williams. With 14 laps to go Pironi lost a front wheel and Jones inherited a comfortable lead which he kept to the finish. Jochen Mass (Arrows) was second, ahead of Elio de Angelis (Lotus) and Jean-Pierre Jarier’s Tyrrell.
Of course, Jones’s victory counted for nothing and is excluded from the record books. To all intents and purposes, the 1980 Spanish Grand Prix never took place.
The next Grand Prix, the French, was due to be run on 29 June. That race – and indeed the remainder of the Formula One season – was in jeopardy until five days beforehand when representatives of all the teams met in a London hotel and thrashed out an agreement. The skirts stayed – at least for the time being.
As for Jones, ‘the race that never was’ did no lasting damage to his title aspirations since he went on to win the championship anyway. Apart from the sport’s reputation, the real loser was Patrick Gaillard who had finished sixth – and last – at Jarama in an Ensign. Denied a World Championship point, he never won another.